Philippine Sports Commissioner Edward Hayco yesterday called for wider cooperation and unity to strengthen the national sports program.
“We need to do something extraordinary in order to discover and develop the next international sports standouts, like Hidilyn Diaz,” he said in his keynote at the National Grassroots Sports Summit – Negros Island leg held at West Negros University.
More than 100 school officials, campus-based sports leaders, and athletes attended the summit which preceded the opening of the first Negros Island PRISAA Meet on April 26.
The summit was conducted by the Philippine Sports Commission and the National Private Schools Athletic Association.
The PSC official’s call came as he introduced the PSC grassroots sports program to the island’s sports leaders.
Also sharing their expertise in the summit were Prof. Elbert Atilano, PRISAA executive director; Laureano Santos, National PRISAA secretary-general; and Iloilo-based Dr. Raymund Lapating, PSC Grassroots Program consultant.
The sports summit was held also “to establish a distinct identity for the schools’ student-athletes program and the island’s sports development efforts.”
Dr. Ryan Mark Molina, executive vice president and chief operations officer of STI WNU and second vice president of the National PRISAA board, reiterated that the summit’s goal was to promote sports development programs as venues for the personality development and character building of student athletes.
Additionally, it aimed to bridge the gap between grassroots and elite sports by fostering connections between schools and national sports associations, he added.
It also aimed to serve as a platform and advocate for the partnership between National PRISAA and the Grassroots Sports Development Program as well as promote camaraderie and unity among member-schools in the island. | PR
